389 Responses

And to be all cui bono about it, if the Government was trying to buy good talking head, you’d think they’d be pimping the exchequer to… well,outlets with a larger audience share.

ETA: It should go without saying that if Joyce - or any other politician - thinks Radio New Zealand has breached broadcasting standards of accuracy or balance, they have exactly the same recourse to the BSA as anyone else -- no more and no less.

They made the (IMO) totally correct observation that it’s actually pretty fraking cool that citizens can walk into their own legislature and watch their employees at work without having to go through airport grade security.

Tis nice and somewhat distinctive about our country. It's a lodestone if you like - compared with o'seas we are postively relaxed about these things - it's one of the things that defines us. Like not having the cops armed with pistols.

And, yes, Christoper you can sneer at the DPS as “bling” for small cock politicians but it’s still remarkably low-key.

Tis, compared to o'seas. Not compared to Helen. Helen was IMHO more low key than Key, who I suppose, has sub-conciously out-keyed her. It's a touch precious really IMHO. To wit, the opening ceremony of the RWC. Key went out onto the field accompanied by a DPS officer who peeled off when Key was out on the field. I thought to myself - Key is surrounded by men and women who positively worship the ground he walks on and he still needs to have a DPS officer? Bling IMHO.

I speak somewhat from experience and observation; politics is psychological in the sense that the actions of a politician can be explained in part by the formative experiences of that person.

Another thing I find pretty cool is that most politicians actually feel safe about having their home addresses publicly available on the electoral roll.

At Local Body level, and within the former Auckland City Council boundaries, I have noted a general trend; left-wing politicians have no qualms about having their home addresses publicly available, while right-wing politicians usually use PO Boxes for their home addresses. I do not know what the reason for this is but it is for me somewhat noticeable.

There's also something strange going on with the Ministry of Ed's so called 'function' advisors paid at secondary principal rates to advise schools how to implement National Standards. Many have no teaching experience and one is facing a disciplinary hearing. On Radio NZ this morning, government-criticism-risk-averse Geoff Robinson implied that the Ministry of Ed had appointed without consulting the Minister. However, it is just as possible that this whole programme and the personnel are being overseen from the Minister's office. Some sunlight is needed on this story.

I respectfully disagree. I think that problem can be much better dealt with for all concerned. Much, much better than simply locking them up. It’s about empowering that person to manage those tendencies within a supportive environment. We know how to do this. Ultimately, that environment would be an open and tolerant society, one that looks after all its members equally.Once again, what’s so outrageous about that?And are you insinuating that I'm merely trolling? Insincere?

Well, I think we'll respectfully need to agree to disagree. I don't necessarily think you're trolling, but your initial thoughts were so far off-topic, and, personally speaking, I find them so bizarre that it's only a hop skip and a jump from trolling.

Letting everyone out and hoping that society will sort it all out in the end is, to me, about as credible as leaving the global economy to it;s own devices and going 'well, the market will provide. Things will eventually correct themselves and stabilise'.

In both cases, yeah they might. Might. But at a cost of untold misery finding out in the meantime.

ETA: It should go without saying that if Joyce - or any other politician - thinks Radio New Zealand has breached broadcasting standards of accuracy or balance, they have exactly the same recourse to the BSA as anyone else -- no more and no less.

Ahh but, yeah but ,nah but, yeah but ,but my butt....( JK's audition for Little Britain)Maybe that wasn't good enough for the PM's office. The BSA don't work for Papa Bear

Meanwhile, even John Armstrong has criticism for Key over the Standard & Poors fiasco.

Quite – I believe that’s what is known in sporting terms as an unforced error. Not that, for a moment, I don’t think S&P doth protest a little too much that they never, ever have views on opposition party policies but Key was a fucking fool for even talking about something like that at all, let alone when he wasn’t in the room.

Then again, this bear of little brain doesn't understand why S&P et. al. are taken so very seriously when it seems throwing a bucket of chicken entrails at a freshly scrubbed wall gets roughly the same quality data.

I think Bomber’s “meth-head” remarks weren’t defamatory, just bad taste, a bit like the political equivalent of Marc Ellis’ “sweating like a rapist” remarks. Even then, it goes to show that the anti-PC brigade wants it both ways - hold a mirror to them and they'll threaten to smash it.

On the occasion that David Cameron, Barack Obama etc DO go and get their own coffee, they're surrounded by (gasp) Secret Service guys (omg bling!!) AND media. NZ pollies are still remarkably approachable by comparison.

Then again, this bear of little brain doesn't understand why S&P et. al. are taken so very seriously when it seems throwing a bucket of chicken entrails at a freshly scrubbed wall gets roughly the same quality data.

It is grimly amusing that we find ourselves in thrall to the same ratings agencies who spent years not perceiving a developing disaster in the global financial system and green-lighting investment banks that we now know were a house of cards, yes.

Then again, this bear of little brain doesn't understand why S&P et. al. are taken so very seriously

JK and Blinglish have spent the last 3 years telling the Country how important S&P are. How everything in this Country is only about the "money". How everyone in this Country should want as much money as they have. How we spend too much money. How it is necessary to borrow lots of money. How the ones with lots of money need more money and how much better this Government is with the purse strings. That might just have a bit to do with it don'chathunk?

Give me a few billion dollars and I’ll find out for you. (Mars is a cheaper and better bet, though.)

That is exactly the kind of thing I'm proposing. Except I want to come too. Photos don't really cut it.

And it's not either Mars or moons. Why not both? Instead of spending more, let's just bring the costs down. We know how. Hibernating microbial life under the soil and who knows what swimming around in liquid oceans heated by Jupiter? Too hard to choose between!

And this is why there's a good argument for building stuff in space rather than mucking up the surface of other worlds.